Five Things to Do in Midtown This Weekend

For those of you not content to waste the entire weekend playing "Pokemon Go," there are plenty of other things to do.

1. Ron Funches — The comedian known for "Undateable" and "@midnight" will be performing all weekend at Caroline's Comedy Club (1626 Broadway). Catch him Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. He performs at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, but is doing two shows nightly on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets start at $35.
2. 5 Seconds of Summer — If you're a teenage girl you presumably already know 5 Seconds of Summer is performing on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. If you're the parent of a teenage girl, you probably knew, but you also probably forgot. So here's your reminder. The ultra-popular Australian rock band is in the middle of its "Sounds Good Feels Good" tour. They'll be playing at the World's Most Famous Arena at 7:30 p.m.
3. PlayTimesSquared — OK, so maybe you're over Pokemon Go, but not over gaming quite yet. Take a break from hunting and check out this festival of physical and technological gaming between 42nd and 43rd streets and 43rd and 44th streets in Times Square. And even cooler, all the games were designed by students at NYU. It's free, but first-come, first-serve, and you know how crowded Times Square can get. The festival kicks off at noon on Thursday and will be open from noon to 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
4. Broadway French Market — The open-air French market is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday on Broadway Boulevard between 35th and 36th streets in the summer, but it's especially worth going this Thursday. If you didn't know, that would be Bastille Day, a time to celebrate all things France, especially storming a prison and ushering in a murderous regime not much better than monarchy.
5. Hell's Kitchen Flea Market — While everyone is heading to Brooklyn Flea or LIC Flea, why not hit up Hell's Kitchen this weekend? It's only open weather permitting, but right now it's supposed to be quite hot and sunny this weekend. It's open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on West 39th St. between Ninth and 10th avenues.

Photo Credit: Jason Raia via Flickr/Creative Commons